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Big small town

Living in Big Stone Gap, VA

Big Stone Gap is a big small town of 5,162 people in Wise County, Virginia. It's about 27 miles from Kingsport, TN and 158 miles from Charlotte, NC, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 84°F and winter highs 44°F, with about 10 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $163k and rent runs about $797 a month.

5,162people
$163kTypical home
$797/moRent
84° / 44°Summer / winter
10"Snow
218Sunny days
141Rain/snow days

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Size & setting

  • Big small town of 5,162
  • A standalone small town, not a suburb
  • About 1,076 people per sq mi
  • 158 mi to Charlotte, NC
  • 27 mi to Kingsport, TN
  • 27 mi to the nearest town of 10k+

Money

  • Typical home $163k (≈$1,028/mo)
  • Median rent $797/mo
  • Median household income $55k
  • Property tax about 0.6% of value
  • 7.0% unemployment

Weather

  • Summer highs around 84°F
  • Winter highs around 44°F
  • Somewhat humid summers (dew point 62°F)
  • 218 sunny days a year (76 totally clear)
  • 147 cloudy days a year
  • 50 of 90 winter days are gray
  • 141 days a year with rain or snow
  • 10" of snow a year
  • 4 days a year with 1"+ of snow
  • Rarely hits 100°F
  • 6 nights a year below 10°F
  • Usually calm

Safety

  • Very low violent crime (145 per 100k)
  • Low property crime (1,093 per 100k)

People

  • Median age 41
  • 31% of households have kids
  • 18% are 65 or older
  • 16% have a college degree
  • Mixed community
  • 2% of residents are college students

Getting around & homes

  • Average commute 21 min
  • 8% walk or take transit to work
  • 34 mi to TRI airport
  • 99 mi to TYS (major hub)
  • 109 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
  • 74% single-family homes
  • Typical home built around 1968
  • 86% of homes have broadband

Outdoors

  • Mountain country
  • Elevation 1,493 ft
  • 305 mi to the ocean
  • 156 mi to a big lake
  • 28 mi to the nearest trailhead
  • 11 mi to the nearest ski area
  • 9 mi to the nearest campground
  • 6 golf courses within 25 mi

Things to do

  • 53 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
  • Few or no bars within 25 mi
  • 3 coffee shops within 25 mi
  • No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
  • 9 museums within 25 mi
  • 1 brewery or distillery within 25 mi
  • 9 mi to the nearest farmers market

Everyday

  • Schools in the bottom 39% of Virginia districts (reading)
  • Grocery store in town
  • 2 mi to the nearest ER hospital
  • 2 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
  • Vet in town
  • 27 mi to the nearest dog park
  • 8 congregations per 10k people
  • 14 mi to the nearest college

Politics

  • Wise County: R+63 in 2024
  • Virginia: D+6 in 2024

Natural hazards

  • Very low hurricane risk
  • Low tornado risk
  • High wildfire risk
  • Low earthquake risk
  • Low flood risk
  • Very low drought risk
  • Moderate winter storm risk
  • Very low heat wave risk
  • Very low volcano risk

Places near Big Stone Gap

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